Phoenix Suns owner Sarver refutes relocation threat

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver has committed publicly to staying in the city following a report that he has threatened to take the NBA team to Seattle or Las Vegas in a row over stadium renovation.

A Phoenix City Council vote to approve a $230m (€204m) renovation plan to Talking Stick Resort Arena has been postponed to next month. It is unclear if the initiative will be given the green light due to a backlash from the community.

“Sarver’s talking about moving,” one council member told a local reporter. “He basically told me the team will go (if they don’t get a renovated arena). Vegas and Seattle were the two he talked about.”

But Sarver responded in a video posted on the Suns’ Twitter account: “I am 100-per-cent all-in in keeping this team right here where we stand. And I want to make sure that message comes across crystal clear to every one of you.”